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The Bluebelt is a large scale system of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. The program originated on Staten Island in the early 1990s, but has also been implemented in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

and

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. The Bluebelt includes structural and nonstructural stormwater management control measures taken to mitigate changes to both quantity and quality of

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caused through changes to land use.

History

The Bluebelt program was initiated in the late 1980s by New York City’s Departments of Environmental Protection and

City Planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

, based on a suggestion made several decades earlier by Ian McHarg, a landscape architect. Acquisition of land began in 1991 for the project, one of the Northeast United States’ most ambitious stormwater management efforts. The overall goal is to provide the necessary stormwater drainage infrastructure for a region on the southern end of the island while at the same time preserving the last freshwater wetlands in New York City. The bluebelt uses a series of carefully placed BMPs at the storm sewer/wetland interface to reduce flooding and improve water quality. Creation of a self-regulating ecosystem that is native to the region is of primary importance to the program. BMPs used in the bluebelt include stormwater wetlands, stream restoration, outlet stilling basins, and sand filters. Ninety-two stormwater wetlands were included as part of the Staten Island project. In order to integrate the wetlands into the natural ecology, the construction process is advised by restoration specialists since general contractors are typically not trained in proper plant selection and installation. The planting design focuses on quick establishment of the preferred successional communities that will complement the surrounding landscape, before invasive species take over the site. The performance of the Bluebelt during the storms that battered the city in the early 21st century – including

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

– has been described as "brilliant".

References

Notes Further reading
"Staten Island nationally recognized for its stormwater management"
'' Staten Island Advance'' *"Staten Island Bluebelt" ''Landscape Architecture'' (November 2005).
Articles on Bluebelt
''Clear Waters'' (Winter 2009) New York Water Environment Association
"Natural Security: Staten Island, New York - Natural Drainage Systems"
''American Rivers'' *Articles ''Stormwater Weekly'' (2000–2001)

External links

Staten Island Bluebelt Program
- New York City Department of Environmental Protection *{{twitter, nycwater
Center for Watershed Protection
Environmental engineering Water pollution in the United States Protected areas of New York City Water infrastructure of New York City

History

See also

References

External links